The Health Benefits of Peanut Butter

The debate whether peanut butter is healthy for you or not is still ongoing among many health professionals. Peanut butter, for a long time, has been associated with cookies, candy and all sweet things that are bad for a person. But is that the whole truth? Surely something that is made mostly from a legume cannot be all bad, there must be some redeeming factors to this popular spread.

Weight Loss

Weight Loss

You would probably be surprised to see weight watchers’ groups dolling out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to their members, but just how wrong this assumption truly is? Peanut butter has a high fiber content and because it is full of nuts, it’s also full of protein. This means, if you eat peanut butter, it will fill you up for longer than many other foodstuffs. Obviously, you need to moderate the intake of the spread, but if it is consumed in a responsible way, it can assist weight loss.

Nutrition

Just one serving of the product can contain 3 mg of vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant, 208 mg of potassium, 49 mg of magnesium and 0.17 mg of vitamin B6, which has been proved to be good for the immune system. There is documented medical analysis to prove that eating peanuts helps to decrease diabetes, reduce the risk of heart disease and aid other chronic health problems. One study actually demonstrated that consuming one ounce of peanut butter a week could reduce the risk of developing diabetes by nearly 30%.

Protein Peanut Butter Cake

Monounsaturated Fats

Peanut Butter has some of the best fats known for the body, these are called monounsaturated fats. These fats are extremely good for the heart and help adults that are insulin resistant, it can also help with belly fat. This is why you should consider ignoring reduced fat types of peanut butter, the fats in the spread are good fats and will help to replace saturated ones.

Which Ones Should You Buy?

Most brands and types of peanut butter have a similar makeup, but some have less harmful content than others; in order to buy the best, study the labels carefully and watch out for:

Sugar – firstly, look for organic options as they tend to have less sugar content; peanut butter can range wildly in this department. Organic brands can contain 50% less sugar, so be wary.

Salt – also be vary of sodium levels because they will dramatically alter the taste of the product. It has been that one serving (roughly 2 tablespoons) can have as little as 40 mg of sodium or as much as 250 mg.

Health issues are prominent this day and age, and thus consumers are educated on what they put in their mouths. We all know that too much salt and sugar can be really bad for us in so many ways. By eating peanut butter, you are not necessarily committing a cardinal sin, as the product is full of monounsaturated fats, vitamins B6 and E and has high levels of magnesium and potassium.

As with everything today, the best advice is to study the label and if you are not sure, ask for assistance. Then enjoy the product with a clear conscious.